Confusion among prison staff enabled inmate to take his own life, watchdog finds
All prisoners on a Special Observation List are required to be checked every 15 minutes with the assistant chief officer in charge of each division to ensure that officers in charge of landings are in possession of the latest copy of the Special Observation List at the start of each tour of duty. File picture
Confusion among prison staff about the status of a prisoner who was found hanging in his cell meant he was not checked every 15 minutes as required, an investigation by the prison watchdog has revealed.
A report by the Office of the Inspector of Prisons (OIP) into the death of the prisoner at the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise three years ago found conflicting reports between an assistant chief officer and prison officers over whether staff on the prisoner’s landing had been provided with a list of inmates who had been placed under special observation.
